Shades of Gray
by Acerbus Angelus
Summary: A strange girl with a strange past, not to mention the silver necklace that seems to have Kai hypmotized. TalaOc, KaiAmber(Oc), brotherly TalaKai. r n'r. in need of beta


_Hope you enjoy it._

* * *

Ignoring the throb of pain in her left arm as the rain poured down, hard, upon it she kept her gaze transfixed on the door of the shop in front of her. Even in the dark of the night, it must have been at least 2:00 bye then, her keen, amber eyes for which she'd been named could clearly recognize the group portrayed in the glistening poster. Heck, anyone probably would have known who they were. The Bladebreakers.

However, that, unsurprisingly, was not what caused her hand to shake slightly. It was not the group itself which caused a torrent of emotions to rip through the strange girl, who had thought herself incapable of feeling. Oh no, it was not them… it was their captain.

* * *

The light of the moon slit though the windows of the dojo, landing a stream of light right on the two-toned blunette's face. He twisted in his blankets and turned on his side in order to avoid the light, to no prevail. Groaning softly he lay on his back and opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling. Deciding that he obviously was not going to get any sleep, which he had come to expect due to the nightmares that had started to haunt even his waking moments, he stepped outside. Stepping over the other's cots, so as not to wake them, he slowly opened the door and shut it soundlessly behind him.

He swung himself up on the roof of the dojo, careful not to make any sound, and leaned back on the palms of his hands. Stretching his senses and enhancing them with Dranzer, as he was taught, he began to 'feel', so to speak, for others. Those awake were easy to pick out due to their increased heart rates and breathing. For a split second he heard the sound of another, and honed in on it, only to have it fade away into the night. _I wonder… if they had been trained…_ But no, it was impossible. Anyone trained in the art of 'hiding' themselves had to have been trained at the abbey. And no one here… _no, of course not, why would I even care though? It doesn't matter. _

* * *

Her heart rate quickened for a split second and, using her training, she quickly blended it in with the surrounding calm. She felt another, they must have been close, for her to feel them this strongly. Taking slow, even breaths she calmed her raging emotions. She stepped closer to the shop door to avoid the rain, and then scolded herself for her actions. To hide from the rain was to convenience herself, and she did not need to be convenienced, did not want to be. She did not need anything. She did not want anyone.

Fighting the urge to sleep she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and began to walk. Cold, tired, and hungry (she had not eaten in several days, and hell, she was human) she trudged through the rain stubbornly refusing to give into the pain shooting up her left arm. The dull throb had turned into full out teeth-gritting pain, and she knew that if she didn't get medical attention soon it would continue to become much worse. Still, she refused to give into the pain, and instead clenched her teeth together and continued down the road.

Her clothes clung to her slender frame, soaked bye the rain. Her long, dark hair seemed to shine as water streamed down it tiny rivers. The blood from her wound had dried on her already worn and battered black shirt, causing it to stick to her skin even tighter. She realized that it would hurt when she removed the normally loose fitting over shirt, and winced.

Finally submitting to sleep's soothing embrace she laid underneath a bridge and shivered slightly, while using her back-pack as a pillow.

* * *

Kai's eyes snapped open and he cocked his head to one side to listen to the night. He had heard a splash, the sound of something, or someone, stepping into a puddle. Jumping silently down from his resting place in the rain he began to creep towards the sound of the splash. Suddenly he heard a slight moan, and turned his head just in time to see part of a red tennis shoe slide out of sight underneath a nearby bridge.

Heading towards the bridge he bent down to peer beneath it. Rolling his eyes at the shivering girl his first thought was, _Stupid bum. Sleeping in the rain, serves them right if they die of cold._ Then something caught his eyes, he sucked in a quick breath and did a double take. Kneeling down beside the girl he reached out a shaking hand and brushed his fingers along the gleaming silver necklace clasped around her neck.

It was a simple necklace, nothing to fancy, just a small silver plait on a chain. Engraved on the rectangular plait was 'ЯРОСТТ. The Russian word for 'Fury'. Reaching with his left hand into his pant pocket he pulled out an identical chain, on this was engraved 'БЕЛЫЙ', or 'white'. He knew that a certain red-head carried another silver necklace, his bearing the insignia 'ГОРЯЧИЙ', 'hot'. White. Hot. Fury…

He also knew that, without a doubt, this was no coincidence.

He recalled the being he'd sensed earlier, how they'd faded perfectly into the night.

He slipped his arms under her limp form and began to walk towards the dojo. His eyes strayed to wound on her arm and he tightened his grip on her protectively. "Amber…" He sighed softly feeling a raw emotion tear through him, "What have you done?"

* * *

_Looking for a beta who will not simply say, "Oh, that's good."_

_R and R, please. Constructive Criticism always welcome. Please, no flames._

_Merci beaucoup,_

_AcerbusAngelus_


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